Junk

It’s nice to see a first-time director unafraid to let his viewers have their own experiences and come to their own conclusions. Here’s one: the bravest thing about Little Death isn’t its risks––it’s the filmmakers’ choice to forgo nihilism for hope.

Junk, while not quite finished, is a promising indie darling that closely resembles the type of film Martin longed to make, both in theme and biography; it makes you appreciate its existence, however imperfect.

The trouble here is the fizzling story. The viewer can’t help but feel the loss of Ross.

Schwimmer’s great in a role that’s very much in his wheelhouse, but the second half never quite lives up to the first half, and the first half feels incomplete as a narrative, which leaves the whole film feeling like a disappointment.

While his film may dabble in varying points of view, it never manages to delve into the subjectivities of the characters it is trying to capture – even the ones it clearly cares for.

There’s a perplexing choice at the heart of Little Death, directed by Jack Begert, best known for his work in music videos. That choice is essentially to make two very different movies and smash them together.

There’s admirable ambition here, and plenty of sumptuous visuals to spare, but the clash between one section’s biting cynicism and another’s ragged heart proves too discordant to overcome. Which is a shame; as a whole, the film may be a mess, but there are little treasures within this Junk to perhaps be reimagined down the road.